Kendrick Lamar Says He's A Mixture Of Kurupt, Tupac & Ice Cube

Kendrick Lamar explains how Kurupt, Tupac and Ice Cube have impacted his music.

It's hardly a secret that Kendrick Lamar maintains a deep appreciation for '90s era West coast Hip Hop. Now, in an interview with "The Rickey Smiley Morning Show," Kendrick names the three West Coast icons to whom he sounds the most similar.

When asked which emcees he sees as most influential, Kendrick explained that he envisions himself a mixture of Kurupt, Tupac and Ice Cube. He explained that the comparisons come as a result of growing up on the music of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and others.

"I'm probably more West Coast influenced," he said. "[I'm] a little bit Kurupt, 'Pac, and some content of [Ice] Cube…I think it's really just the West Coast influence, truthfully. I come up under Dre and under Snoop. Just listening to them over the years, it's really just that melodic feel that I could never escape."

Kendrick also discussed what he believes would be Tupac Shakur's response to his music if the late rapper were still alive today. K. Dot said that he thinks Pac would respect his music and appreciate its socially grounded message.

"I think [Tupac] would thank me for keeping just the legacy alive of speaking on something that's real - not only to him, but to what I feel that everybody needs to be listening to," he said.

Kendrick's history with Tupac goes beyond fan-dom, as the Compton upstart recalled seeing the slain emcee while filming the video for "California Love."